Finding breastfeeding exhausting when I’m ill

[Sazzlebear]

Hello all,

Just a quick question to nursing mums, do any of you feel like you get colds so much worse now? I feel like I used to bounce back quickly and used to plow on with my day, but since I had LO whenever I have a cold I’m so exhausted (usually we have the same cold so he nurses like mad for the comfort I guess 😭). Don’t know if it is the sleep deprivation or just another little breastfeeding ‘bonus’.

Prepping bottles safely when you feel rotten is pants, too.

This is one of those keep plodding on things. You're doing great, mama.

<scruffs OPs head affectionately>

Yes 100%. Being ill while breastfeeding is the worst.

I remember when we all had covid back in 2021 and my dd refused all food and drink except bf and I was quite ill myself. I lost 2kg in under a week. Last month i had a vomiting bug - breastfeeding while trying not to vomit is genuinely the worst torture I can think of.

With colds I've found the main issue is dehydration, you don't realise you're thirsty and you're giving up extra fluids

Being ill while having to care for a needy baby is a new parenting level we all have to go reach at some point. It's horrible.

We both had the flu in February. Every muscle in my body hurt. I could barely move and I had a 40.5 fever. Baby needed bf every 2 hours. He couldn't breathe properly so wasn't sleeping properly. DH had to come home early on day 2 as I was hallucinating and couldn't keep steady on my feet. Fun times.

And you can't even take good drugs, utterly miserable.

I remember breastfeeding my four month old through norovirus (both of us) That truly was a dark night of the soul